Three reasons
by Ventiwings
Summary: Chapter 3: Why thank you, Miki, you really know how to delightfully entertain my friends in ways I can't even comprehend.
1. Chapter 1: Bikes and broken bells

Three reasons  
>Summary: She definitely looked like she owned the place. I had to laugh; what a cocky first year.<p>

Please enjoy!

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><p>There are three reasons why...<p>

I'm an idiot.

She's an idiot.

We're both idiots.

I'm not kidding.

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><p>It all started back in high school; everyone was either excited or deflated at the beginning of the new school year. I was by the school's entrance, hanging back from the rest of the growing crowds still lingering outside of the building. Our third year here and nothing looked any different, aside from the new batch of first years pouring in with stressful or determined atmospheres. While looking at all of them, I couldn't help but smile reassuringly at those who looked my way; I gave them a wave.<p>

Gakupo, my samurai obsessed friend, nudged my rib when he saw me doing that. "You're going to be creating another fan base, buddy!" He shuddered in fright. "And we don't need any of our fan bases growing any larger, you hear?" He gave a threatening expression, leaning in forward and I leaned back, trying to create further distance. Gakupo has a thing against large crowds following wherever he went. That didn't happen in our first year – it was mainly me who got a plethora of people following me – in our second year, my purple-haired friend started gaining attention from the opposite sex. He started freaking out.

"Ha!" Meiko laughed and slapped Gakupo on the back. It sounded like it really hurt – I winced and I wasn't the one who got the bad end of it! – and also, Gakupo's face sort of told the whole story too. "I'm impressed that you two idiots managed to have a fan base at all! Honestly." She shook her head, disappointed that a population of her sex actually created a fan base for her two _idiotic _friends. It's not that surprising - Gakupo and I aren't _that _unattractive. I'm saying in the least narcissistic way possible. We aren't, by all means, terrible looking.

"O-Oh Meiko..." Gakupo seethed through an aching, distorted expression as he tried to refrain from physically attacking the girl. "I-If only you could get your eyes and brain checked, you'd see what fantastic specimen you have standing before you!"

He was not...

A mischievous gleam lightened in his eyes and my stomach fell.

He was.

Oh c'mon, I do some pretty idiotic things, occasionally being the one who planned some of them, but this guy was being suicidal at the moment! He couldn't possibly. Oh man. I feel like I was shaking in my dress shoes at the moment. Don't say it, for the love of it all, Gakupo, don't be a freaking _idiot_.

"Are you just jealous that my fans have our attention, Meiko?" he cooed and I face palmed.

Oh seriously, Gakupo, you're going to die.

I heard the sound of a fist cracking and I freaked out. This was Meiko, our childhood friend Meiko, who could have secured a spot in a gang at the tender age of ten. She had a face that looked passive-aggressive, but anyone, who could clearly read the obviously murderous atmosphere around her, could read the "_You are so dead_" signs fluttering from her person. The two of us froze and I placed a hand on my samurai obsessed friend's shoulder, a solemn expression splashed on my features.

He turned to me with frightened eyes, questioning on what to do in this deathly situation.

"Meiko," I said seriously and she gave me a fiery look. I nodded and pushed Gakupo forward. "He's all yours!" I yelled happily and dashed off, hearing the cries of my friend.

"Traitor!"

I'm sorry, Gakupo! I'll live out your life alongside mine!

Dramatic, I know, but seriously, if you had friends like Meiko or Gakupo, then you'd know how this would be; A.K.A you would _not _want to be in that crossfire like a sitting duck.

I stopped by the fences that surrounded the school, narrowly dodging a pack of gamers, who were playing mobile games on their cell phones. They looked so into it, I would've felt bad for crashing into their net games. I began to mentally check off a list that formulated in my head to see if I was in the safe zone.

No fiery temper flaring behind me and especially no cries of help directing themselves in a clear path leading to me. Cool, I was in the safe zone. With another breath of relief, there was the sound of a broken bell jingling, almost as if it was dying to sing.

I perked my head up and there she was. A girl, who I've never seen around the school, rode swiftly by me with a speed that would match a motorcycle. ...Was it a motorcycle? Then she came back, but slower and this time I caught a good look of her. It felt like time slowed down - like in one of those sappy movies I try to avoid - and then the sound of her bike's bell rang - and I felt my heart race. ...Oh great, just great, I was falling for two clichés at the same time!

Nah it couldn't have been that stupid 'love at first sight' drabble that I hear about from Gakupo when he talks about the latest girl he had his eye on. To be honest, I think he just says all that stuff around me because he wants to make Meiko jealous or something. I don't know. It's hard to tell between those two. Anyway, I was _not_ hypnotized by her sudden arrival because of love. I was only in high school. Third year, to be exact! _Love_was just a foreign word. There could've been other reasons like...

It could've been her appearance. When I saw her riding in her long hair sashayed against the wind that blurred past her, almost like she was some sort of bird diving to snatch its prey with its feathery wings flirting with the sky. Her uniform was undoubtedly baggy, almost as though she was wearing one that would fit a boy twice her size; her fingers barely escaped her sleeves and her skirt was longer than other girls'. And dressing her eyes were a messy looking pair of glasses, round rim and a crack somewhere on the left lens. This was definitely not how most girls here looked at such a prestigious school; it was almost as if she rebelled against the proper dress code.

Or it could be because she peddled like mad on a bicycle in order to get to school on time where as others took the bus, had their parents driven them or walked. Of course, it's not strange to see someone riding a bike here, but one where it looked like it was from outer space with rainbow streamers tied in bows around the handle bars and a badly woven basket? Yeah...that's pretty out there. ...But for some reason, I had to grin and laugh when she stuck the landing, skidding to a stop and almost crashed into a bunch of gossiping girls who were blocking the entrance to the school courtyard. They gave her an earful of complaints, but she merely waved them off, telling them that it was their fault of not getting out of the way. My grin grew wider.

Maybe, it could've been how she hopped off her bike, adjusted it to the rack and then fixed her bag. There was a rough yet, somehow charming way she did that. Weird, I know, but at that moment it wasn't; it was almost as if I was watching a carefully crafted performance being made. ...It was a strange phenomenon indeed.

Why in the world was I so entranced?

She then spun on her heel with her long hair sashaying behind her and her hands grasped tightly around her bag's handle. The mystery girl strutted towards the school building in such a style that it would deceive people into thinking she owned the school.

The group of girls, who were furious about what happened earlier, started causing a commotion - in which everyone wanted to watch. Instead of back talking, the girl merely allowed them to finish with a poker face and when they finally did, the glasses girl just waved her hand; the sleeve engulfing her petite looking hand completely.

"You're blocking my way," she informed dully and there were so much shocked faces that people started laughing. The girls were so stunned that they allowed the bike girl to walk past them, her school bag over her shoulder and her free hand over her hip.

She definitely looked like she owned the place. I had to laugh; what a cocky first year.

Honestly, until class started, I couldn't get that scene out of my head and chuckled all the way to class with Gakupo tailing behind me. He smacked my head when he got tired of hearing my laugh.

"You're such a creep, y'know that?" he grumbled and I hummed in amusement, earning a friendly glare.

"I'm just in a good mood," I answered honestly, somewhat hoping that I would catch a glimpse of the girl on the outrageous back in the halls. Alas, different grades were in different hallways; I sometimes wonder why I forget details like that. "And I'm not a creep." Wow that sounded like a weak come back…no wait…it was weak.

He decided to ignore my defense and continued with his angry tirade, "You're also a traitor, I can't believe you abandoned a comrade to be a sacrifice to…to…_that _demon!" he dramatically cried out and I laughed gently, patting him on the back.

"There, there," I mused and he swatted my hand away.

"Shut up," he mumbled and headed into class just like everyone else. I took a moment to look around the halls, allowing the false sense of hope pass me by and then chuckled before entering the room. Faces of people I know and didn't know melded together while they all started taking their seats. Gakupo slapped his hand at an empty desk beside the one he chose – it was closer to the door – and I politely took it before a girl who was eying it did. I sat down, settled my school bag on the floor and quietly pondered to myself.

The girl with the much-too-large uniform and sloppy glasses appeared in my head and I refrained from growing a grin on my lips.

That girl was interesting, it was a shame she was a first year.

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><p>I have no idea why, but I started like Miki pairings (still not too big on Piko x Miki though, probably cause I'm strict with him being with Miku or Rin). Also, this was probably because I put Insanity by SF-A2 Miki feat. Kaito on loop for the past two days (I even got my brother into that song). Then I started like the pairing because of this MMD that someone made for that song.<p>

Ah this was written between the hours of three in the morning to four and I'm only this late because I failed to update any stories that I planned to have updated before I went away for a week. Grah. I'm sorry. This will probably be three or four chapters long. I already started on the second one, and they'll probably be short.

I beta-read it myself since I didn't wanna trouble the beta-reader I have for most of mine and also, I know that I won't have enough time in the morning to upload this. Hopefully I got most of the errors because I read it over three times.

~Ventus


	2. Chapter 2: Partners and the Panda Hero

Three reasons

Summary: Miki didn't let go of my tie at all once we left the club halls – where we received several passing stares – and it was like she was treating me like some sort of dog. "From this day on, we're partners."

Whoo...I wrote this while I was on vacation! Please enjoy!

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><p>There are three reasons why...<p>

_Why I'm an idiot._

Why she's an idiot.

Why we're both idiots.

I'm not kidding.

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><p>Did you hear about the Panda Hero?<p>

Those were the first words she's said to me when we brushed into one another in the Faculty Hall during lunch. Actually, those were the first words she has _ever_ said to me in my life—not the best way to start a conversation, but at least we got acquainted. Her eyes were sort of dull, uninterested, and it was almost as if she was about to fall asleep in the middle of the day. The glasses that covered her eyes had a glare, but it vanished when she lowered her head and made her eyes travel up to look at me. She had her arms, baggy sleeves flooded over them, pulled behind her petite back while being covered from my view. Her hair was as long as ever, a mix of a red and pink sort of color, shining from top to bottom along with stray strands curved up on the top of her skull. Her expression didn't show much of interest either; it was strange, considering that she's the one who started the random conversation while I stood in front of her with everyone passing us by.

She didn't even look sorry or looked like she was going to say it any time soon with that bored expression of hers. Although, it wasn't like I was expecting it with the way I see her enter school all the time, zooming on her out-of-this-world bike and creating a pathway with just the swing of her hips. I guess she gave other people the impression that she owned the school with her no nonsense face and the way she looked at everyone as if waiting for the crowds to split apart. This cocky first year indirectly made everyone give her the red carpet treatment with her decked out bicycle being her limo. Then she cocked an eyebrow up, waiting for me to answer her ridiculous, unenthusiastic question about this person or thing that's called "The Panda Hero". What kind of name was that anyway?

I shook my head. She sighed. I raised a brow when she lowered hers in exasperation, almost as if that was the wrong answer to say. Should this Panda Hero be some sort of legend that _everyone_ should know about, like it was some sort of common knowledge? If so, that's ludicrous.

"Sorry...?" I said with a shrug, confused. Maybe Meiko or Gakupo would know about this Panda Hero; they're usually in the know of what's hip and happening. ...Please don't think less of me when I say that. "Is this _'Panda_ _Hero'_ someone I'm supposed to know?" I asked with curiosity. Her presence in the beginning of the year thrilled me to know more about her, and since we're two years apart, I'm not really given an option to just go up to her into class and say 'hello'. Also, I was not going to stalk her; that's both desperate and creepy.

She sighed. Her hands went shuffling into the pocket of her oversized blazer, which looked like a clutter of cloth as she dug through it. I wonder what she was going to do; my best guess was that she was going to pull a rabbit out of there since it looked like it could fit. That was an attempt at a humorous thought, though what she really took out surprised me even more...that is until she spoke. What she tugged out of the deep depths of her blazer's pocket was two tickets to the baseball game the school was holding tomorrow. ...Was she asking me out? Should I say that I'm elated to know that she wants to spend time with me, or annoyed that a first year was taking the initiative in asking out a third year who clearly has his own fan base following him around every corner?

She adjusted her glasses, giving me a slightly livelier look, but it still lacked the shyness of a high school girl when she's asking someone out. With the way she was looking up at me with expectation, it was like she was a business woman trying to strike a deal with her client about some sort of promotional move. After moments of silence, she waved the pair of tickets in front of my face and I jolted up a bit, forgetting that she was waiting for an answer. However, I didn't really think she wanted me to answer when she didn't bother stating the question. What was I supposed to do—read her mind and hope that I get it right?

"Uh...sure I'll go to the baseball game with you?" The words wavered too much for my liking and then I saw something sparkle in her eyes and then the bells rang once again in my head. For some reason, she looked prettier standing there with her shoulder slouched and her giant uniform eating away at her tiny being. Her eyes radiated with life and it felt like a smile was tugging itself on her usually iron-lined lips. If she did smile, I wonder how I was going to take it.

"I'll be waiting by the photography club room. Come by ten minutes after school is over," she informed dutifully and shoved one of the tickets in my hand. She turned around wordlessly and departed, causing another crowd of people with stacks of paper in their hands to rip apart and create an entryway for her to pass on through without trouble. Before I knew it, a grin was on my face. I shoved the ticket delicately in my breast pocket and returned to class happily before the lesson started. As if it wasn't obvious enough, Gakupo got sick of my happy-go-lucky mood and smacked me behind the head before our teacher entered the room with a less-than-pleased look on her face. Our guess was that she didn't enjoy her lunch. I didn't really care about what happened to her earlier because Gakupo put more power into that hand whip than usual.

Do you know about the Panda Hero?

Those words sent a strike of confusion upon Meiko's face when she tilted her head and rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand. Her other hand was holding her school bag and the red ribbon around her collar was untied. I grumbled miserably at her untidiness, but decided to refrain from my usual OCD ranting until she answered my question verbally. She shook her head, making me sigh in disappointment. I checked the clock while everyone was packing up, then I checked the board and found that it was this Luka Megurine and Tonio's—this foreign transfer student—turn on cleaning duty so we had to clear out of the room soon. The minute hand of the clock didn't strike three-ten so I was still in the safe zone before meeting up with the first year by the photography club.

"Why do you want to know about this thing called the Panda Hero? Is it some sort of Panda mascot that wears spandex and has a cape?" she questioned as a joke as we walked out of the class. Gakupo said he had to grab something from a different classroom before the lesson ended and zoomed straight out after the teacher left. It was a sight to see a blur of purple dash out of the room with his hair following behind him. We laughed at what she said, recognizing its bizarre description of what her guess of the Panda Hero was.

I shrugged and told her about what happened during the lunch break when I went to the Faculty Hall to get some paperwork from the teacher's work room. She listened intently as we walked slowly through the halls that were strictly for the third year students. Other students passed us by like Miriam and Leon, people we've known since grade school, and others like Sonika and Al, people we'd just met last year. As I finished, the familiar blur of purple flew by us and the two of us stopped in our tracks, to see the samurai-obsessed third year panting heavily in front of us a few feet away. We both gave our versions of what a questioning face would look like and slowly he regained his breath and excitement spread across it.

I gave Meiko a look and she returned it with another; both of us silently communicating on whether or not to pursue in the adventure of asking him what happened. On one hand, he wouldn't explode on us later for not asking him the instant he made that look, but on the other, we would be bombarded on whatever tomfoolery he had in store for us next. Meiko held up a fist, I sighed and held my own. We nodded to one another in serious silence and took in a calming breath.

"Rock-"

"-Paper-"

"-Scissors-"

"-Shoot!" we both yelled, and in victory, I grinned, holding up a fist while Meiko glared at her hand formed into scissors. Sorry Meiko, but that's how life and the game works! You see, throughout the years we've all known each other, Gakupo has been conjuring up some pretty crazy ideas. During those times, he's always wanted us to ask what it was first to build up some dramatic tension – he's kind of a theater freak – in a vain attempt to get us worked up to go along with his wacky projects. It's usually forced though. In order to make it fair – I guess? – Meiko thought up that we should play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" and whoever loses _has _to ask Gakupo what's going on in his head.

"Go on now," I told her jubilantly. She groaned, face-palming and sliding her hand down her face. She finished the mourning of restraining herself in order to ask our friend in the nicest tone possible; this was Meiko's personification of the saying "the calm before the storm". I watched in anticipation of how she was going to ask and what kind of answer Gakupo was going to give.

"What is it now, Gakupo?" she demanded in a somewhat questioning tone with her hands on her hips and she leaned into the right. Her choppy, brunette hair swayed a bit and she pushed her red-painted lips together in a poorly done scowl. Her dark brown-red eyes locked onto Gakupo's violet ones as if vainly trying to search through his thoughts, vying to get a decently normal answer. If you didn't know Meiko, you'd think she was angry, but in reality, she was secretly wishing that he would spit out something that wouldn't give both of us a headache.

As for me, I stopped hoping for that and embraced the idealistic nature that Gakupo has developed throughout the years with open arms. If he wasn't like this, we would've had a boring childhood and an even more boring high school life. In my opinion, it's good to do some foolish things before living life as an adult because it'll give you some good experiences…as well as stories to tell to your kids. I just want to be a cool parent, okay?

"Well?" Meiko and I chorused in unison, waiting for him to finally answer. He cleared his throat and out from his sleeve appeared the school newspaper. How he did that…I would never know, but nonetheless, I was impressed with how he somehow rolled the thing up and it still came out perfect. I'll be sure to ask him later if I ever remember it after his answer. Meiko decided to read what the front page side, looking at the picture closely and muttering under her breath of what was written in the article. I pursued asking Gakupo why he was excited about the newspaper; he never thought twice about reading it before unless it had something to do with the theater club productions.

"What's so exciting about the newspaper?" I questioned and he shoved the paper at my chest, silently ordering me to read it. With a sigh, I heeded to his command and finally took a closer look with the two reading over my shoulder. I guess Meiko wasn't done yet. I mouthed the words under my breath, skimming through it, and my eyes widened.

**Do you know who the Panda Hero is?**

By: SF-A2

_If not, then ask around! The Panda Hero has been reported by several students around the school. Apparently, she only appears around the time our school's baseball team is losing and somehow she turns the game around with an abrupt homerun. Whenever she's at the bat, her fingers passionately tighten the handle and her elbows are locked with precision—the crowd and players fall into a hushed silence. Then when she unleashes a divine-looking swing, the collision of the bat and ball thunders an unbreakable echo and the baseball flies across the field and over the fence. When she runs, it's like everyone's a statue, not one able to catch her, and she finishes up the game, overpowering the other team. The amazing thing is that no one really knows who the Panda Hero is and how she received that name. Not even one photo has been taken of her due to her requests. So the big question is: Do you know who the Panda Hero is?_

Beside this article was a blurred picture of a girl wearing the team's uniform running to home base. I raised a brow, wondering why there was a picture of her since it was clearly stated that the Panda Hero girl said she didn't want photos taken of her. Whoever wrote this article and got the picture wasn't interested in respecting another person's request. Though, this Panda Hero sounded interesting, especially with how the writer of this article described how she played.

I lowered the newspaper, seeing that we were all done reading it; we all had the same reading speed. After doing that, I craned my head to look at my male friend, discovering that mischievous look in his eyes. Meiko pursued what both of us were thinking while grabbing the newspaper out of my hands and had a sore expression on her face. "Are you telling us that you want all of us to find out _who_ the Panda Hero is?" she questioned with slight interest and frustration. "If you are, then do you have any leads?" Since she asked two questions consecutively with a spark of interest igniting in those brown-red eyes, my guess was that we were going to play detective and find out who this girl was.

The so-called Panda Hero…which reminded me that I had to go meet that cocky first year! I can't believe I forgot!

"Sorry guys, I got to meet up with someone," I informed hastily and saw them give me a blank look. It was almost as if they didn't believe me in the slightest and that it was an excuse to get out of playing Sherlock Holmes. Now that I think about it, I could use meeting up with that first year as a way of getting out of yet another of Gakupo's plots and Meiko's impulsive nature, but this was mainly to get to know the first year that triggered my interest. However, if I say that they'll follow me and investigate who the first year is, going as far as following her and asking people about her. They were like parents, very annoying parents.

"Who?" the Sherlock Holmes impersonator questioned, curling up the newspaper he swiped away from Meiko, whom I will dub as Watson for now. "Someone we know? C'mon, buddy, don't hold out on us!" he insisted, wagging the rolled up newspaper in his hand with a more-than-determined expression slapped across his face. I started getting nervous. How was I going to escape this?

"Uh…just this first year," I informed honestly. I couldn't lie to my best friends, people who've stuck with me for the last…ten years! That would just be a backstabbing kind of thing to do to the people who have trusted you and stayed by your side for so long. Also, they'd follow me anyway even if I lied to them and then punish me by lecturing me or smacking me behind the head for falsifying my whereabouts. It was a lose/lose situation either way to sum it all up in a few words. "And I'm late to meet up with them." I inched back, having to go to the club hallway in order to meet up with her and hopefully explain to her why I messed up.

"Yeah okay," Meiko said with a shrug, trying to pass off a poorly sculpted passive expression. I scowled, knowing full well that the two of them were going to stalk me to find out who I was meeting up with. With a sigh, I decided that it couldn't hurt to bring them with me since they didn't do anything else after school other than crash at my house and raid my fridge. I put my hands up in defeat and the two grinned in victory, high-fiving each other the minute I turned my back on them.

We proceeded walking, having some small talk about what went on during class while making a turn to the left and down about three steps. Students breezed past us, enjoying the quiet time they got after school to take pleasure from the clubs they joined. I looked around and made a turn while my friends greeted several people they knew. During that turn, I caught that unmistakable red and pink hair leaning by the doorway of the photography club. A smile landed on my lips when I saw her staring around the hall, probably searching for me with her usually stoic expression.

I glanced behind me and saw the others pulled into a conversation with Lily, this girl gang member who's in our class, about something. She looked like a delinquent and acted like one during class, but outside of school when she's not with her gang, she's actually really nice. I mean, if she can tolerate Gakupo's relentless goofing around then she's good in our book. Also, she and Meiko were on pretty good terms too—someone able to have a bigger temper than our childhood friend was a rare gem to find. So, while they were lost in their chitchat, I approached the first year cautiously.

An apologetic smile placed on my lips and my hand rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. She found me walking towards her and pushed herself off the wall with her hands on her hips. The uniform sagged with her movements and I couldn't help but find it adorable. Her glasses fell a bit, getting rid of the glare of light and revealing a pair of scolding eyes that somehow sent a shiver down my spine. This girl really knew how to lighten the mood with that expression of hers.

"You're five minutes late," she informed robotically and I chuckled sheepishly. She removed her glasses, closing her eyes and sighed. Then she reopened them and my heart skipped a beat, the bells ringing in my ears once more as she locked her sight with mine. My mouth slightly opened and my hand hovered away from the back of my neck. She was prettier than I had originally thought when she removed those big glasses from her eyes. Those looked like they outweighed and overpowered her face, distorting her tough-guy, no nonsense kind of image.

I breathed, remembering that I was going to explain to her why I ran late on meeting up with her. Instead of waiting to receive my reply, she shook her head and placed her glasses over her eyes once again. It was disappointing somehow, but the bulking pair of spectacles somehow had its own appeal while sitting cozily in front of her big, pink and red eyes. Her eyes were actually a pretty interesting color; it was kind of like Meiko's, but brighter, and – in a sense – younger, like she had some sort of childish innocence that Meiko didn't have. I don't think that makes sense, but that was the kind of vibe I got from her at the moment while staring straight at her.

"Never mind." I shook out of my trance and nodded slowly, pretending to understand her gesture. She stepped to the door and opened it. I peered over her head and found that it was completely deserted; I looked down at her as she smoothly entered the room without any consent. Hesitantly, I followed and slid the door closed after I fully entered the room.

When I turned back around, I saw her unclip a photo from a string of them and observed her subtly investigate it. Another second ticked by and she finally averted her attention from the photo to me, turning her head and weighing her gaze on mine. She slowly returned in front of me, a foot away in distance, and held the photo close enough for me to see. The picture looked well-taken; the lighting was good, but the angling was pretty bad. A girl wearing a baseball helmet with her hair mashed underneath was holding a bat, resting it on her shoulders and pointing at something that stood in the midst of a crowd. Her face was shadowed by her hair and the way her body was positioned didn't give away her front appearance.

All you could go by was that this girl had green hair, though, that alone would be able to narrow down the search of whoever this girl was. Not that I should say anything since I had blue hair and I knew people who had some pretty unique hair colors and styles—Gakupo is a perfect example of that. My guess was that she was the Panda Hero that this girl and the newspaper were talking about earlier. She looked pretty plain though; I was expecting some sort of distinctive character trait or at least something that would explain why she has the title 'Panda Hero' branded on her. It's not really something you pick out of thin air in order to name a mysterious baseball saver.

"Any girl come to mind when you see this picture?" she asked and I shook my head. She groaned in annoyance and returned the photo back to its original position on the line of them. Again, the second ticked by and she ventured back to her original spot in front of me with her hand underneath her chin and the other arm holding her elbow. She looked like she was deep in thought and I zipped my lips shut, allowing her to process whatever she was processing in peace.

I waited several moments before the door slid open and there spilled a few other people I didn't wish were here. Others, I didn't even think would be here. Meiko and Gakupo were amongst them, by the way, and they looked irritated with me. The first year turned her attention to the door, dismissing her thinking pose and walked towards the group of newcomers. Her hands were swinging strictly at her sides and she stopped in front of Lily, whom I was surprised was here. I knew how much of a cocky first year this girl was, but I didn't think she was cocky enough to go up against a gang member.

"Any news about the Panda Hero?"

Lily shook her head with a sympathetic look that sent a look of disappointment on the other girl's face. She shook her head and placed her hands on her hips and looked at my other friends who were giving me a heated gaze. She marched towards them and shuffled in her pocket. My stomach tightened in anticipation, fearing the worst. When it came true, it stopped tightening and dropped in deathly discouragement as she pulled out two baseball tickets from her blazer pocket.

"Come to the baseball game; they charge tickets now ever since the Panda Hero has been making her appearances." Meiko looked confused at her offer, but Gakupo excitedly plucked a ticket from her hand. He was grinning ear to ear, probably contemplating on how to use a free ticket to his advantage in finding out who the Panda Hero is. I was devastated at the realization that she was offering tickets to almost everyone she saw when she handed them to two other students that entered the photography clubroom. With a scowl, I crossed my arms, feeling the ticket in my breast pocket burn to nothing, my annoyance fueling the flame.

Meiko cleared her throat, gaining the first year's attention. "Thanks for the offer and all, but why?" she questioned, waving her ticket in between her index finger and thumb. Lily glanced between the two girls and watched silently, never breaking the quietness of the room.

"It's because I want to catch the Panda Hero." It was blunt and straight to the point. It sounded like a recorded message, almost as if she was used to people asking her such a thing. Her face was as still as ever, not showing one bit of excitement or hesitance; it was sculpted tightly and perfectly into the epitome of a poker face. She was either containing herself, or she was just so bored of such common questions that there was no point in using energy to change expressions.

Gakupo jumped towards her in delight, exhilaration flashing in his violet eyes as he waved his ticket around gleefully. He must've been glad to find out that someone else was fascinated by the article and school legend of the Panda Hero. He began blabbing about why he wanted to find her as well, inputting the amazingly written article that we had minutes prior to the little gathering within the photography clubroom. The girl nodded and nonchalantly added in what she wanted to say in the conversation. I watched this exchange of words with a sparking jealousy and abrupt recognition of what just happened.

Why am I such an _idiot_?

I should've realized that her ploy was to gather up people to help her catch the Panda Hero, and with enough people, she would be able to do whatever she wanted with the green-haired girl. I don't know what, but I wasn't really thrilled enough at the moment to care. Meiko must've sensed this happening because she patted me on the shoulder and gave me an encouraging grin on her red lips. I grumbled underneath my breath, not letting her hear the incoherent string of words and she merely weighed down the patting until I almost fell over.

"Y'know, it's pretty smart gathering people in order to catch the Panda Hero easily," Gakupo inquired with a knowing nod as he gazed at the ticket in his hand. Lily migrated beside Meiko and the two started talking about the baseball game. They weren't as excited about it as the other two, but they did seem interested in it, unlike me; I could care less about our baseball team. The only reason I looked forward to it was because _she _asked me to go with her, even if it wasn't verbally said and declared. I grumbled once more, wishing that I rejected the offer.

"My name's Miki Furukawa," the first year announced, appearing in front of me. I jumped a bit; surprised that she suddenly stepped away from her engaging conversation with the wannabe Sherlock Holmes. She fixed her glasses with a slight push and looked up at me, leaning forward with her hands placed tightly behind her back. Then she bowed pretty low and I stared down at her, not realizing that the room was drawn together in silence; all eyes were watching us. "Please take care of me, upperclassman."

My hand somehow traveled behind my neck and started the nervous habit of rubbing it sheepishly. My eyes averted themselves from her and I held my head upwards to the ceiling, finding it more interesting than the girl bowing in front of me. I could feel a slight blush on my face, embarrassed by her sudden show of respect and graceful introduction. She owned this introduction for sure and I couldn't help but feel some unintentional intimidation by how she subtly showered a rain of respect before me.

"M-My name's Kaito Shion," I started nervously, slowly returning the bow as I watched her reclaim standing up straight with her hands folded together in front of her legs. The sleeves were vainly bunched up, but were gradually sliding down her thin arms and soon ate up the appearance of her hands. When I finished my bow, a strange phenomenon appeared before all of us.

"Now that we're both acquainted, upperclassman Shion, we're going to catch the Panda Hero," Miki informed with a slight tone of determination and a nod. Gakupo gasped dramatically, stunned by the shocking revelation. He crept towards Miki and gave a scolding glare at her, which she returned back with a dull one. They held it until my friend couldn't take her stolid nature anymore and stomped his foot in aggravation; he didn't like the idea of hitting someone younger than him out of petty anger.

"Hey, wait a minute! I thought we were _all _working together?" he interrogated and she shook her head.

"I never said that," Miki corrected and I cocked my head to the side.

"Then…what's with you giving away tickets?" I inquired slowly, trying to understand the sudden turn of events. To me, it felt like everyone else was trying to follow her train of thought, all wondering where the tracks were leading.

"Competition." She stopped, and the room was lost in confusion. She removed her glasses and wiped them with the hem of her blazer. During that time, I exchanged glances with Gakupo and Meiko, seeing the two shrug in response. They didn't get what was going on either and in a last ditch effort in getting outside help, I waved my blue-eyed gaze to the gang member. She shook her head, and mouthed that she didn't know either. Miki finally put on her glasses and breathed in exasperation. "I thought this would be more interesting if there were more people coming to the game in order to catch the Panda Hero's identity. It's like a competition, and competitions give me an edge."

Then she turned to me and I jerked a bit. Her explanation was strange, but sort of thrilling. Gakupo looked interested enough and Meiko decided to give it a go. As for me, I guess I was gradually getting into it too and nodded my head. She returned it with a stern nod as well and placed her hands on her hips.

"Pick a partner and whoever can get the name of the Panda Hero wins a prize," she announced strongly. It sent a spark of happiness in my body to know that she chose me as her partner without any hesitance. Gakupo and Meiko immediately jumped together, nodding to one another with looks of exhilaration washing over their faces. I guess they were ready to get their Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson gig on, with a prize at the finish line to one of Gakupo's newest tomfooleries. "The deadline is after the baseball game. The winning team gets to choose their prize."

We all nodded, somehow coming under her command.

"Good, now c'mon, upperclassman Shion—it's time to do some investigating." She grabbed hold of my tie and dragged me out of the room, surprising everyone. My friends started complaining about the head start we abruptly grabbed and flew out of the room to do their own investigation. Miki didn't let go of my tie at all once we left the club halls – where we received several passing stares – and it was like she was treating me like some sort of dog. "From this day on, we're partners."

"Right." I liked the sound of that and also the fact that I finally knew the name of the first year that mystified me at the beginning of the year. "Partners," I chuckled as we walked.

The reason why I'm an idiot is because I fell for such a strange girl.

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><p>Sheesh, for some reason I made Miki all...business-like. Kaito is like a love sick dog, but hopefully that didn't turn anyone off because that wasn't what I was going for. Also, what do you think about the Gakupo x Meiko? I was never really interested in them as a pairing (I steered clear of pairing Kaito and Meiko with anyone but each other.) but now, I dunno.<p>

Third chapter is gonna be typed, two more chapters and then it's back to my other fics that need attention!

~Ventus


	3. Chapter 3: Friends and phones

Three reasons

Summary: Why thank you, Miki, you really know how to delightfully entertain my friends in ways I can't even comprehend.

This could've been uploaded sooner, but my beta-reader didn't beta it till...a couple of hours ago (I was using my tablet though, so I completely forgot she sent it to me.) Anyway, just one or two chapters more and this is DONE! Finally, a completed fanfiction! It's quite an amazing thing to me, to be honest.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

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><p>There are three reasons why...<p>

Why I'm an idiot.

_Why she's an idiot._

Why we're both idiots.

I'm not kidding.

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><p>After school was the day of the baseball game and Miki sternly reminded me of that in the middle of the night yesterday. I was sleeping soundly, having finished half of my Composition homework without motivation, and dreaming about being in an ice cream buffet. Then thunder cackled above me and I fell into a midnight black abyss of my cell phone ringing. When I woke up from my pleasant dream turned unpleasant, I rubbed my eyes and sluggishly reached for my phone that fell to the floor. Irritated, I picked it up and forced a hoarse greeting to the other line, hoping for an explanation.<p>

"Upperclassman Shion, apologies for waking you up without warning –" Ah so it was Miki. I could tell that it was her with the way she spoke, the fact that she's calling me Upperclassman Shion, and also that her number didn't look familiar at all. "–I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow. Be prepared." She sounded so serious, almost as if it this was a life or death situation – which it wasn't, I might add hastily. I yawned, pulling the phone away from me and returned it back to my ear.

"…Yeah…" I droned tiredly, hoping that I don't fall back asleep on her. How in the world did I manage to utter a word or comprehend what she said? "…How did you get my number?" I questioned, blinking away the sleep and seething darkness of my bedroom. She stayed silent on the other line while I tried to dissect my question as carefully as I could through my drowsiness.

"Your friend told me. I'll be leaving you to sleep, good night." She hung up and I did too, tossing my phone to wherever it may land and fell back on pillow. I lied there, my eyes shut to blissful rest and then a thought popped into my head with Miki's words echoing inside of them.

When did Gakupo or Meiko tell her my number anyway? There was no way she was able to get it out of either of them because we all promised not to give away the others' number without their permission. It was due to an incident about three years ago where Meiko gave away Gakupo's number to this girl and the girl ended up stalking our poor friend. She stopped when she faced Meiko's fury though, jealousy turned into quite the bloody beast that day three years ago. It was definitely a story-telling experience that we kept written somewhere and it was the base of one of our rules within the trio.

Oh wait…I do have other friends, but I don't think any of them would give my number away all willy-nilly like. I gave up on contemplating it any longer and fell back asleep in my ice cream dream, grinning goofily to myself as I dived into a batch of cookies and cream goodness. I'd love to tell you what else happened, but all I could remember were mountains of different flavored ice creams and ski resorts taking place in it. Whatever did happen in there made me really hungry in the morning because I ate more breakfast than usual.

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><p>Class was the same as always; our teacher cut herself off from the lesson in mid-sentence and started complaining about how rough it is to be an employed woman with a boyfriend that has a superiority complex. This was a normal thing and we were at the short of the stick when it came to her personal problems; it pained us to an endless amount of agony. The teacher was like the typical, stereotypical teenage girl in the body of a woman with a certified teaching degree.<p>

"Psst." I whipped my head to the left and saw Lily sitting beside me with her head turned forward, listening to the teacher rant. It didn't look like she was the one who called me so I went back to my routine of trying not to doze off during our teacher's infamous love life. "Shion, Miki wants to meet you after class." Again, I whipped my head to the blonde gangster and saw that she was finally looking at me with an amused expression. Her eyes had that light of bemusement dancing in them and I raised a brow, wondering why she found this information humorous.

"Where?" I whispered back and she shrugged. My brows furrowed; this somehow sounded like something she'd do. My best bet is that she'll approach me before I'm given the chance to approach her. She did it yesterday, so maybe she'll do it again today.

"Who knows what that girl thinks of," Lily replied and I gave a nod, knowing exactly what she meant.

Class ended and I got up from my seat tiredly. Gakupo pulled me back down, though, and gave an arrogant expression. His eyes flashed a victorious glare with his lips stretched across his face in the form of a smirk. That sort of expression meant that he was either ready to get me pulled into more of his tomfooleries or that he was going to tell me a secret that he shouldn't tell anyone. It's not like we keep secrets or anything, but that was the type of face he made when my mom planned a surprise party for me years before and he, Gakupo, was the one who tipped me off. Mom was not very happy about that.

"What's up?"

"Oh just some news about the Panda Hero," he informed with a cocky smirk. I sighed in annoyance. This was a competition, right? So, by telling me that he has news about the Panda Hero pretty much kills the purpose of the said event that was practically forced down our throats by the out of this world first year. Really, Gakupo, you should really chew on that thought for a while or at least toss it around for a few moments until it hits you on the head and gives you sudden realization; the realization that you shouldn't give information to your enemy, of course, that's pretty much a set back if you aim to win. There's really a need for me to intervene, but I won't, for the sake of being a good friend.

"...Out with it," I allowed without any fight in my voice. I was already tired, and having Gakupo spill his usual blurbs of nonsense early would at least give me peace of mind later.

"Yeah so the Panda Hero is really a-"

"Shut up, idiot!" Meiko's oh-so-lovely voice screeched and her foot crashed right into the side of Gakupo's head. I watched the scene in slow motion as our friend was sprung from his seat due to the great impact that our dear, Meiko inflicted. Honestly, I didn't think anything in this class would wake me up, but as always, my friends would prove me wrong. Especially these two. These two just always know how to wake a guy up when he's about to fall asleep while standing up, or stop him when he has to meet up with a high school student with a business complex.

I unwrapped a grin just for our temperamental pal of ours as she scoffed at the landing Gakupo had down when he crashed into another desk. The poor idiot, he didn't stand a chance against Meiko's powerful kick. Well, it's not like I could, but at least I was able to avoid it without trouble; of course, it's because between the two of us, I thoughtfully selected my words. …At least within the radius that Meiko was in because she has this inane ability to hear the sound of a pin drop in a noisy room almost perfectly. Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating, but she never really explains how she's able to hear what people can say in a whisper.

Her only plausible explanation was that girl's, somehow, have this insane ability to find out almost _anything. _We didn't bother to press the question further due to not understanding what the heck that even meant to a guy. All I could gather from the blunt answer was that it meant guys were screwed if they tried keeping secrets from the opposite sex. To be frank, it was a known fact from the start; nothing new, old news, nothing worthy to be retold. Unless you were Gakupo of course; he just didn't keep that thought in mind when it really mattered.

She brushed her long fingers through her short brown hair that framed her mature looking face. Her unusually deep red-dark brown eyes narrowed angrily and tiredly at the purple-hair mess as he flinched and winced on the ground. He looked so…wrecked, almost as if he was in need of an actual doctor. She sighed, a breath escaping her usually full and red lips and I waited patiently for her to digest everything in until she could calmly speak. The seconds ticked away…and away…finally she gave me her undivided attention and the grin was still on my lips, stretched on my face.

"No hard feelings Kaito, but this _is _a competition and I don't want my idiotic partner to leak any information we stocked up on yesterday." Meiko gave me her usual apologetic grin and I nodded, accepting the half-way apology. She raked her fingers through her thick hair and I decided that it was about time that I got out of the way to meet up with my own partner. Miki was probably counting down the seconds I was late and would be ready with that stone-hard stare of hers. I shouldn't really talk as if I knew her for years because I've only encountered her about three times…that is if you consider me gawking at her like every other student an encounter. If not, then I've encountered twice and spoke to her both times.

"Nah, it's cool," I assured. "I gotta go meet up with my partner for some reason."

"Ah, the underclassman that pushed us together, right?" I nodded, confirming that her guess was right on the mark. "Cool kid; tell her I said hey, will ya?"

"Yeah sure, I will." She gave me an approving look before going over to the other member of our little trio while I rounded my desk and left the room. I swept my eyes among the bodies of students roaming through the halls, all of them socializing during the lunch break. During my search, I found Lily talking to her other gang members, although her eyes were mainly trained elsewhere. It wasn't my business, so I didn't follow her line of vision like most people would and turned to different direction. My goal was to find a short, long haired girl wearing one of the baggiest uniforms I've ever seen made for this school.

She'd be easier to find if she rode her bicycle through the halls since it's impossibly hard _not _to notice. Also, a bike in the halls would look like something she'd do for some reason, no idea why, but with her attitude and personality… It just looks like it'd fit, okay? I walked around a bit, keeping my mind set on finding my partner. Miki was the one who initiated that I'd meet with her after class, right? So…shouldn't she be somewhere where I could spot her without problem? …Too many rhetorical questions at the moment and I was dead tired as it was.

Asking would probably be the easiest thing to do right now, but I highly doubt that was gonna do me any good. It was either that feeling or because I was too lazy to ask anyone to help in my little conquest in the search of the red-haired girl. My best bet was that it was solely based on the latter. However, in hopes of making this sloppy decision making sound more fulfilling, I guess it's that I want the satisfaction of finding Miki on my own. Or I'm just being selfish because I really do like the girl after all. Call it what you want, I have developed feelings for a strange girl, but I'm not letting it grow out of proportion.

It might freak her out if I suddenly blurted out that I liked her, right?

Of course it would!

"Upperclassman Shion?" a quiet voice questioned and I spun around, not recognizing who this person was. Even when I got a good look at them, I still couldn't put a name to the face. Although, I could tell that this student was affiliated with Miki due to the…out of the ordinary accessories they wore. Really, I was wondering what was up with the underclassmen nowadays, my class never went overboard with customizing our uniforms.

"Yes?" I answered after hesitating for a bit. I shouldn't be so unconfident, but the girl in front of me sported a total Hello Kitty look while wearing the school uniform. Also, I noticed that the girl's uniform was rather large too; the sleeves were long and engulfed her hands. Actually, it was only the blazer that was large and out of proportion when compared to the skirt. Upon further inspection, there were pins of the mascot cat's head were clipped on her blazer and a headband that donned the cat's ears were placed neatly on the top of her head. Her socks were decorated with the character and even the lunch box she was carrying had the designs sketched on the sides.

This was really against the dress code, but I don't think the school was that strict against it seeing as how it's been broken a couple of times.

"A-Ah…" Oh, she's shy. "F-Furukawa i-isn't able to make it s-so…" She looked like she was struggling and I sighed. Did she _really _have to send in an unrelated third party _just _to deliver me news?

"That's fine," I assured with a hearty smile. She was surprised by my sudden action and I stifled a laugh. Not my fault that she looked utterly astonished at such a simple gesture. She played with a few strands of her pink hair – which sort of reminded me of Miki's – and avoided eye contact.

"A-Also…u-um…she said that she was s-sorry about the c-call." Oh was she?

"Really now?" I stated with evidence in my voice that urged this Hello Kitty fan to elaborate further.

She nodded and gulped loudly. Wow, she was really nervous. I'm starting to wonder if she was coerced into doing this or because she merely felt threatened by Miki's unusual "get-to-the-point" atmosphere. "Y-Yes…sh-she said that she got your number b-by asking U-Upperclassman L-Lily."

So it was the gangster herself that thought it was okay to give my number away on a simple whim? Thanks a lot, Lily; I can totally trust you to keep my contact information private.

"I'll be sure to talk to Lily about that then," I informed, ready to return back to class. There was no point in sticking around here any longer if Miki wasn't going to meet up with me. The girl stopped me however with her mouth slightly agape and an unbelievably visible blush was on her face.

"U-Um…I-I forgot to introduce myself… M-My name is I…Iroha Nekomura a-and I'd l-like to say…" Iroha gulped again, seemingly grasping for the strength _not _to stutter and blubber nonsense in the next string of words. I waited patiently, trying not to doze off while standing, especially since it looked like Iroha was having a hard enough time as it was. Seeing as how shy she is – although, I feel like that isn't the case since she decked out her uniform in what could be considered stylish Hello Kitty attire – I had to be nice since I was her upperclassman and all.

"It's okay, Nekomura, I won't bite," I said as easy-going as I could. The cat fanatic looked like she was having a heat stroke as she mentally juggled with her words.

"…T-To please t-take care of F-Furukawa." She started to play with her pins and her interest fell from me to the pair of shoes she was wearing. "B-Because…um…F-Furukawa i-isn't that good with people a-and w-we're sort of f-friends and…"

I grinned, even if she couldn't see it, and nodded. "I'll take care of her, don't worry." Despite the fact that Miki didn't look like she needed to be taken care of; she looks like she can take care of her own well-being.

She swung her head up and had a dazzling sparkle in her eyes. "Th-Thank you, U-Upperclassman Shion!" Before I could give her a proper response back, she spun around and sped off with her arms tightly embracing the Hello Kitty decorated lunch box. As I watched her fleeting figure run down the halls, I was flabbergasted to find that a tail was wagging behind her. …The underclassmen today are more fashion savvy than us upperclassmen, or more daring – whichever works.

I decided to go over and snatch Lily for some answers as to _why _she'd give away my phone number. By the way, the reason she had it in the first place is because we worked together on a report and made sure to keep contact with the other. It was a fair deal since Lily had helped by gathering a good amount of research while I organized everything that would go on the report. Our teacher was very impressed with our work and we received a generous grade. Since then, the gangster and I stayed in contact and her being Meiko's friend was also on our good terms list.

When I did snatch Lily, I found that she was eying this other guy who wore glasses and looked ready for college. He was probably a third year that never caught my eye due to the fact that I've never seen him before and also with how college ready he was. I never thought that a girl like Lily would be openly gazing longingly for a guy who has the businessman atmosphere. …Maybe he and Miki knew each other? Y'know, it was just a musing thought that would kill time while I snapped her out of her trance.

"Mind telling me why you gave Miki my number without permission?" I questioned with a scowl.

Lily shrugged ever-so-casually. "She wanted it," she answered, already bored with our Q&A session.

"So you just _gave _it?"

"Well…no." No? …I gave her a look that meant that she had to elaborate, raising an eyebrow up and never allowing my gaze to waver at her. "She was sorta threatening me for it."

"…How?" This started to interest me. A third year – a gang member no less! – Lily was threatened and defeated by a first year? It was an entertaining thought to linger on, but I decided to leave it alone for the real story.

"Do we really have to –" I answered her with a solid gaze. She sighed in defeat. I didn't think she was this easy to break down to be honest. "Pfft. Fine. Look it's because she knows someone and stuff like that, y'know?" No I didn't. "Anyway, she also begged and persisted after a while until it finally got on my nerves so I gave it to her."

"And you didn't tell me because…?"

"She wanted it to be a surprise." She finished with a shrug and then left our session whereas I stood there, dumbfounded. A surprise? "Oh, by the way," Lily called out and I spun on my heel, stopping and looking towards her. She was tossing her long, blond locks behind her bony shoulders. Her eyes gaze deeply into mine, almost as if she was reading the contents of my soul, turning each page with waning interest.

"Yeah?" I uttered, not liking the sudden silence and suspense.

"Miki isn't good with people." So I've heard by a very feline fanatic. "And she's kind of an idiot when it comes to feelings and whatnot, so take care of her, alright?" she stated with a knowing smirk that made me feel somewhat flustered at what she said. Why would Miki be interested in someone like _me_? We've barely spoken to one another and I didn't really believe that anything would happen so _soon_ after we've gotten into a decent conversation. Well as decent as they come with people like us partaking in such conversations in high school.

"Uh…yeah, Lily, don't have such high hopes."

She laughed in amusement. "I don't, but I know for a fact that you and Miki do." Again, I was embarrassed. How in the world did she pick up on that anyway? I barely even said a word to Meiko or Gakupo about my sudden realization. …It was just yesterday too! "Remember that the baseball game is after school, Miki won't forgive you if you forget!" With those final words, she ran off. I could imagine a grin on her face while she was jogging back to class.

I returned to class, ready to leech off of Gakupo's usually large lunch alongside Meiko. When I plopped down on my seat, the two immediately went into hush mode about whatever they were talking about. I rolled my eyes, not caring about the Panda Hero due to me being _tired _of having to talk and move without needing to. Well I sat on my chair – lazily as can be – I tried to lean over and snatch a few cookies that were cornered in Gakupo's box. I eyed the shape of them due to their form of being eggplants, but didn't bother and munched away.

While I was doing this, the two stayed quiet as I stole a triangular sandwich and melted into its flavor. Whoever made Gakupo's lunches should definitely get paid for it because of how _good _they tasted. Really, I wished my mom made good food because if she did then I would bring boxed lunch everyday instead of mooching off of my friend's. That would leave Meiko to do it for me though. As I ate, my phone went off and I took it out to check who it was. My eyes spotted an unknown number and saw that it was…Miki's I believe.

…Wonder why I didn't save it on my phone. Oh that's right, I was dead tired.

_"Panda Hero info._

_Meet me at the photography clubroom._

_Remember the baseball game after school._

_ Miki Furukawa."_

I was about to type back a reply, but instead, received another text from Miki. I went back to my inbox and clicked on her newest message. What was this girl up to?

_"Also, sorry about the surprise call last night_

_I didn't know when to talk to you"_

Eh? She could've done it straight after I left school or something. Three or whatever in the morning is no way to talk to someone during a school night. She should know that, or it should've at least been mentioned to her. Oh well, I decided to reply—oh never mind, I got another text from the busybody herself.

_"And don't listen to what Iroha and Lily_

_They're just jumping to conclusions_

_You better not!"_

…Okay then… I better respond fast before she gets ahead of herself and— she sent me another text message. Can this girl text or what? What is she saying _now_?

_"I hope you're not mad…_

_I'm not too good with guys"_

That's an out of character thing to say. It was sort of adorable too; however, I don't think I could really picture her saying (or text messaging) this kind of stuff. Her eyes gave that feeling of seriousness, strictly business sort of thing. Her lips would be in a straight line, not quivering or stuttering on what she wants to say or how she says it. Eh…I haven't seen her, but I'll be seeing her after school so…

_"Don't be such an idiot. It's fine."_

I text messaged her playfully and chuckled while flipping my phone shut. A thought occurred in my head: Yeah so what if she had the leadership trait, one that takes command without a second thought, she was still a – what, fifteen-year-old? – young girl at heart.

Meiko started talking again, this time about the baseball game. Huh? I thought they'd keep mum about anything that related to the competition since I was an adversary of theirs. She brushed her short hair, the tips of the strands flirted against her bare shoulders – her sleeves were rolled up – and tapped her fingertips against her chin. "You know…the baseball team here sucks," she noted and the two of us – Gakupo and I – sighed in unison.

She was never one to openly give compliments, but she was quick to jump the gun when it comes to saying someone's faults. My guess is that she got used to it when pointing out the faults when Gakupo's scheming days developed and became a constant in all of our lives. Sometimes they worked out, but usually they failed and Meiko was the one who saved us; rarely, very rarely, did I save the day. To be completely honest, I actually like Gakupo's plans, they really do bring excitement in our boring school days.

One time, we—

"That's probably because—" Gakupo and my thoughts were cut off by my phone going off. We all stared at the device in my hand and I mumbled in annoyance. I didn't think they'd both be interested in my texting lifestyle or whatever. "Ah, who ya texting, Kaito?" he interrogated with a widening smirk. "Could it be a girl?"

"Nah, I'm here," Meiko joked and the two laughed. I rolled my eyes at their childish. Their laughs were heavy, amused and in perfect sync. If I joined in, then it would remind me of our childhood days when we would do nothing but laugh and run around. Also, homework with difficult equations and nonsensical passages we had to analyze and then translate into English. High school is a real letdown and then we're gonna be graduating soon. Oh man…we're getting old.

Another thing, they don't think that I'm good enough to talk to other girls since I never gave anyone in my fan base the time of day. It's not that I'm a jerk, or uninterested in girls…it's because they pretty much spout the same thing whenever I was pulled in private for a confession. Of course, I was still friendly to them afterwards since it'd be a jerk move to brag about rejecting girl after girl. Other guys could do that and disgrace our own sex, but me? Yeah, I don't think so.

"Nice one, Meiko."

"Yeah, thanks Mei, glad to know you care," I mumbled, rolling my eyes and flipped my cell phone open.

"Oh Kai," she purred with amusement frolicking in those dark, mature eyes of hers. Then she reached her slender fingers into my hair and ruffled it, lightly scratching my skull in the process. I scowled and jerked my head away from her touch. My eyes caught Gakupo's subtle jealous gesture, his hands instinctively grasping the back of his chair. If you like her, then _tell _her! I'm not gonna get in your way, man. Meiko would murder me before accepting going on a date with me. "You know I'm playing." She put her hand in front of her mouth, barely hiding her huge smile.

"Yeah I know."

"Anyway, go read your text from your girlfriend."

"What makes you think I have one?"

Gakupo chuckled. "Well we thought it was obvious since Furukawa initiated the first move by choosing you as a partner first." Then he crossed his arms abruptly and tossed on a pissed off look. "And we all know that you and I are the school's duo!"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that's the Kagamine twins," Meiko corrected and I cocked a grin. Ha. Poor Gakupo. He looked deflated and annoyed at her correcting him so casually.

"Way to go, Mei, killing Gaku's manly pride like that." I grinned, and gave her a look. She got it and approved my silent message with a nod.

"Pfft. Sorry, I didn't think you had any."

"She just called you out!" I joked and Gakupo fumed with such irritation that the two of us laughed.

During that time while he was flailing around at our other companion, I decided to check my phone. A grin was on my face before I read it and soon I scowled and chuckled darkly at what my partner wrote to me. So much for a young girl at heart, she was like Meiko, but not as physically scary or monstrously strong. My two friends joined me by smashing themselves at both of my sides, reading her text with intent as they both read it under their shallow breaths. I counted in my head to the moment the two were going to burst out in laughter and probably going to fall to the floor. Afterwards, they'd possibly mock me after their claims of Miki being my girlfriend.

_"Who are you calling an idiot?_

_How about being nice and saying that it'll be okay?_

_Sheesh, I picked such a jerk of a partner!_

_Do you like picking on a girl?_

_Pffft. Whatever. I'm just gonna go._

_Enjoy your class and remember to come to the meeting place._

_If you're late…_

_Forget it!"_

"Kaito's whipped!" they chorused and laughed. I shut my phone and buried my face in my hands. Why thank you, Miki, you really know how to delightfully entertain my friends in ways I can't even comprehend. Someone needs to school her in picking up a playful tone through text. …Eh…I guess I should blame myself too since we barely spoke with one another, but it's still her fault too. Besides, these two fools wouldn't let me live it down now.

The reason she's an idiot is because she's much too serious.

I'll try to teach her how to take a joke…hopefully sometime soon.

* * *

><p>I read a fanfiction in which Iroha was tsundere, and another in I My Me Mine's fanfiction that she was serious (...er...I think), and then there was another in which she was pretty hyper. I had some fun with writing her, and decided that she'd be shy for some reason. Kinda like Haku shy.<p>

Lily was difficult, I didn't have a set personality for her, so I just went with an awkwardly, friendly, yet somewhat nerved gang member. ...If that's how I wrote her. It's past five in the morning and I don't remember how I wanted to pose her while writing this.

Miki was pretty difficult too...I gave her a business-like atmosphere then it went tsundere on me. The characters are really controlling the author (unfortunately) so they're now shedding their own personality traits on me while I was typing this.

Gakupo and Meiko were incredibly easy. I had their personalities set and how their relationship with Kaito and with each other were. They're very fun to write since I like writing friendly banter.

Kaito...eh...I hope he's the same?

Oh yeah, I notice that I usually put in Miku or the Kagamines in my fics (if you've seen my un-uploaded Vocaloid fics and scrapped ideas, you'll see that about ninety percent of them are revolved around either all three of them or one of them), so I'm trying to avoid that. However, when I made Gakupo say he and Kaito were a duo, I had to use the twins. I just _had _to for some strange reason. I could've put in Leon or Lola, but it didn't click.

Overall...this chapter was quite boring in my opinion. I wanted to toss Miki in, but eh, I think it went better with the texts.

That's it from me.

~Ventus


End file.
